


Breaking News

by haldoor



Series: Overthinking [14]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-06
Updated: 2012-06-06
Packaged: 2017-11-07 01:19:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/425343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None for the show<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> Don't own; no money made<br/><b>Beta:</b> sadly unbeta'd again; please offer corrections if mistakes found<br/><b>Summary:</b> Danny tells Rachel about him and Steve.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking News

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaige68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaige68/gifts).



> Chapter 14 of the **Overthinking** series, this is a little later in the day after Danny and Grace have stayed over at Steve's in the last chapter. For Kaige, as ever *smooches*

Rachel looks at Danny closely when he arrives with Grace after their weekend with Steve, a curious expression in her eyes. She invites him in for coffee, telling him Stan's not home and it's been a while since they talked. He suspects she's got some bomb or another she wants to drop on him, but he decides it's as good a time as any to tell her about him and Steve.

Grace races inside and up the stairs to check in on Charlie the minute she gets past Rachel.

"Don't wake him, sweetheart; I only just got him down to sleep. You can look in though," Rachel tells her as she climbs the staircase. Grace nods knowingly and slows her steps down while her mother's eyes are on her. "Come through, Danny."

He's settled on her fancy couch and being handed coffee in a beautiful cup before she asks the question that's clearly been on her mind since he arrived.

"Have you met someone new?"

"New? No, not someone new," Danny shakes his head, placing his cup back in the saucer and putting it carefully on a side table.

Rachel studies him for a moment over the top of her own cup, and then lowers it. "You seem happier than you have done for a while. I just assumed maybe..."

"I had Grace this weekend; that always makes me happy. Besides, why assume I have to have met someone to be happy? Could I not, oh, I don't know, just have had a really good weekend with my daughter and be relaxed and happy about that?" It's not that he won't tell her about Steve, but he can't help himself with this kind of thing; it's part of why things were always so volatile – and not always in a bad way – with him and Rachel.

Rachel nods as if to concede the point. "I suppose that could be it. But somehow I'm guessing it's more than that."

Just then Grace arrives back downstairs. "Mommy, we had such a good time at Uncle Steve's this weekend. He helped me build the most beautiful sandcastle yesterday, and we took him out for breakfast to pay him back for dinner last night."

"A sandcastle?" Rachel asks, drawing Grace near. "I wish I could have seen it." She looks strangely at Danny past Grace's head.

"We didn't have a camera with us," Grace says sadly, like she wishes she'd thought to take a picture.

Danny feels bad that even he didn't think of that. "Maybe it's still there," he says. "I'll ask Uncle Steve to check, and if it is, he can take a picture on his cell." He gets his own phone out of his pocket and sends Steve a quick text while Grace tells Rachel about Beauty and the Beast and sleeping in Mary's room. He's only paying vague attention to their exchange as he types in his message.

 _Hi babe, is the castle still standing? Can you take a pic if so and send it through?_ He hesitates, then adds three little x's, looking up afterwards, smiling at the thought of Steve's expression when he sees them.

Grace has left the room again, and Rachel is frowning at him. "What?"

"You spent the weekend at Steve's?"

Danny's heartbeat increases and he gazes towards the door Grace left by, worried she's said something about the kiss he shared with Steve while he was distracted. "We did," he manages, his voice even, although his smile slowly reduces. "He invited us for lunch yesterday and it got late... Grace wanted to stay and watch the DVD, so..." He shrugs. "I slept on the couch."

"I don't want to appear intolerant, Danny, but you seem to be spending more and more time with Steve. I thought the idea of weekends with Grace was more time with _her_?"

"Yes, and she happens to like being at Steve's. He's also very fond of her and we all have fun when we're together." He's feeling on the defensive already and he hasn't even told her why he really likes being with Steve.

"I can't help but wonder, Danny. Your face just now, when you texted him..." Rachel trails off and picks up her coffee cup again, sipping from it delicately as she waits for his response.

Was he smiling that widely? The steady thump of his heart sounds loud in his ears and he knows she's given him the perfect opening. He may as well just say it. It takes him a moment to get the words out, and they don't sound as confident as he'd hoped they would. He knows he shouldn't have to be so nervous, but he's never done this before and he has no idea how Rachel might take it.

"I... that is we... we've been seeing each other."

"You see each other all the time," Rachel says, like she doesn't get it.

Danny tips his head slightly, his eyes roaming away from her face. " _Seeing_ each other, Rachel, as in dating."

Her eyebrows go up and she lowers her coffee cup, her mouth falling open in surprise. "You and Steve?" she asks dumbly.

"No, me and Steve's Mercury. Yes, Steve and me. Is that going to be a problem?"

Rachel shakes her head, but it's not in answer to his question; more like she's trying to come to terms with it. "You're both gay?" she asks, sounding utterly blown away by the thought.

"Not gay," Danny tells her, frowning at her being so dumbfounded by it. "I guess bisexual is the term I'd use if I _have_ to name it, but I've never actually dated a man before so it's all pretty new. Steve... well, it's not really your problem what he considers himself to be."

"Not my problem?" Rachel asks, her voice going up an octave. "Daniel, you let my daughter sleep over at his house while you and he... while you... she might have seen... Oh, God, Danny; are you mad? She's too young for that."

"Now wait just one minute!" Danny holds up a hand, scowling. He uses his fingers to count on. "For one thing, I told you I slept on the couch. Number two, she's _our_ daughter. And number three, for your information, she knows about Steve and me and she's fine about it. I would not do anything to worry or concern her, and you should know that."

"She knows?" Rachel's eyes go wide. "You told her?"

"Rachel, she's old enough to understand love; she saw us kiss and we talked about it. She basically told me... well, never mind. She doesn't have a problem-"

Danny knows he shouldn't have said anything about the kiss as soon as Rachel leaps to her feet, cutting him off. He's up on his feet too, anger building behind his eyes.

"She saw you _kiss_ him? That's just wonderful! She learns her father is gay because she sees him kissing another man. Not just another man, but Steve McGarrett, of all people!"

Danny screws up his eyes in frustration, gesturing to aid his words. "Kissing is not a big deal! And what's so wrong with 'Steve McGarrett, of all people'?"

"You might not think kissing is a big deal, but I happen to think she didn't need to see that quite so soon; couldn't you have talked to her first? And as for Steve... you're always on about him; about how crazy he is and how _mad_ he drives you. You don't think Grace is going to pick up on that? How suitable is he really as another father figure for her?"

"I had intended to talk to her; she was tucked up in bed and we were having some time alone before we went to our _separate_ sleeping places," Danny tries to explain. He knows he's probably looking guilty, considering how the sleeping arrangements turned out, but since nothing sexual actually happened, he's not going to regret that; not going to regret hearing Steve's soft _I love you_ before he fell asleep in the man's arms. "And Steve may drive me crazy _at work_ but he's a friend outside of that, and he happens to be great with Grace. She loves spending time with him, and-"

Rachel's let him defend himself without a word, but the look on her face says there's more to this than just Steve's antics and letting Grace see them kissing.

"What?" he asks, confused. "What's really the problem here, Rachel?"

"Was our whole marriage a lie?" she asks, lip trembling.

Danny hadn't considered that side of things. Their marriage was over; she had Stan. Why would she assume his relationship with Steve invalidates anything he had with her?

"No," he says emphatically, moving closer and trying to take her hand.

She resists him and stalks over to the window to look out at her perfect backyard.

"Rachel." He softens his voice as he approaches her, but stops a few feet away. "Steve's the first man I've ever been interested in. I loved you – maybe a tiny part of me still does – and being with him now does not mean I was in any way lying about what was between _us_. You have to believe that."

She turns and looks into his eyes. Evidently she sees what she needs to there, and she nods. "I believe you, Danny, but this... it's so sudden; do you really mean to tell me you've never felt anything like this for any other man before?"

"No," he tells her honestly. There's no point in talking about the 'looking'; it won't help matters. The simple truth is he hasn't felt anything near the way he does about Steve since he and Rachel were together.

"Then I suppose I should tell you I'm happy for you," Rachel says, trying to smile, though he can still see hurt in her eyes.

"That would be very nice," Danny agrees, smiling back at her with sympathy. He supposes it must be confusing for her; it hadn't occurred to him it would make her question their relationship this way. "I know it's not the easiest thing to hear," he goes on, reaching for her hand. This time she lets him take it. "But it doesn't change anything. When it was good between you and me, it was real; there was nothing faked on my part, I assure you. And I love Grace and will _always_ put her above anything or _anyone_ else."

"I know you will, Danny," Rachel tells him, the sadness finally leaving her eyes.

She pats the hand that's holding hers and he lets her go as Grace appears in the doorway once more. They both turn towards her and she crosses the room to hug Danny. "Did Uncle Steve send a picture?" she asks, looking up at him hopefully.

Right on cue, Danny's cell buzzes and he pulls it back out of his pocket. "Uncle Steve to the rescue," he grins, opening the file and holding the phone so Grace can see.

Grace grins up at him and takes the cell in both hands. "Look, Mommy!" She crosses to Rachel and starts pointing at the features of her magnificent castle.

"Just as well you made it above high tide, Monkey," Danny says, watching them together.

Rachel gives him a look that says she still worries about him, but she's not going to cause a fuss right now. He hopes he's reading her right, anyway. Rachel's a good mother, and the one thing she seems to understand is that Danny needs Grace; he loves her more than anyone, and if he had to make a choice, even Steve wouldn't stand a chance.

He hopes he never has to put it to the test.

~//~


End file.
